Benjamin hogan



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Letters Patent No. 75,760, dated lllarcr 24, 1868.

IMPROVE MENT4 IN HAT-GdNFORIJIATORS.v

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

i Be it known that I, BENJAMIN HOGAN, of the city and county of Albany, State of New York, have invented a new and improved Hat-Conformator, by -whichthe vertical shape and si'zeoi'rhuman heads are taken; and I do 'hereby declare thatthe `followimgris a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, consisting of V:Plates I andII, and the letters of reference thereon, indicating theseveral ports, in"trhich A Figure lrep-resents a section ofthe instrument in perspective, with improvements. Figure 2 represents a vertical view of a section from the top. 'Figure 3, an endsectiou of size-indicator. Figure 4: is a side elevation of inger-su'pporting and bearng-rim and standard. Figure 5 i's an end View oi' upper and lower angles of fingers, their guides,l&c. Figure 6 is a'longitudinal.cross-section of instrument. Figure 'Tis-a lateral' section of the same. Figure Sis a vertical section .of the same with bearing-'rim removed.

r i The nature of my invention consists in providing the ordinary hat-conformator now used by batters with a second rim, which may be moved in a vertical direction at will, and securely holds the lingers op arms fixed in their new-assumed positions; also providing a suitable-register or indicator, upon which the size of the head is registeredbymeans of a finger or pointer, operated by the iingers or arms through themedium of a. cord, or equivalent means. i y To enable others ski-lied" in the art to makel and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it, in reference to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, the same letters indicating like parts. V A A, igs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7,' and'8, represent the main or supporting rim, to which are attached the standards SIS, figs. 4, 6, and '(,on the top, and attaohedito the said s tandardsis the'oval crown C. Placed around inside the opening of the supporting rimv A are the fingers F F, forty or more in number, with their upper and lower angle-peees.' The upper angle-pieces, a a, extending back` andrestiug upon the crown'C, are held in place by the crown-rim l), figs. 1, 2', 5, 6, and 7, While theloweraugle-pieces, b b, extending forward, rest' upon the rim A, and aresecured by the guides g g, 'or their equivalent. The fingers thus placed and secured, have freedom to move outward, and are keptinvvard against the crown C by the elastic band e or e'. The said elastic band may he made of rubber'or coiled springfvvire, or any other` suitable substance. Over and within the rim A is placed the pressing-rim B B, gs. I, 2, 4, (i, and 7, supported by a number of spiral springs, c, or otherwise' elastically seated. -This `bearin'guim, B when pressed down, is held by two catches, d' d, placed at either side,

which holds the rimin pressure.' Made through or attached to the iingers FF, or either" of their angle-pieces, are the cord-holes 1, 01 eyes t', iigs; vl, 2, 4,'6, and 7, placed at proper points. I Through the lsaid eyes or holes,I 'communicating at the' front ofthe instrument, is passed the oord, m, which eucircles all the fingers, and returning to the front again, `the two ends of the cord are then passed through the eyes placed in the ends of the arms pp, iigs.`1,`2, and 6. The said arms carry the cords under the pulley G, from whence the cords pass upwardsl and are coiled `around the said, pulley, and secured to Athe regulating-screw n, tig.. 6. The pulleyG turns with itsshaftf, and-is kept ,taut by the coiled spring r, figs. 2 and 3, fastened tothe pulley-shaftf and tel one side of the spring-ehumber.h. Front of the spring-chamber is the dial-plate H, with whole, half, and quartersizes marked thereon. Tothe end oi' the pulley-shaft, projecting through the dial-face, is .attached the 'pointer t, Which,1vhen the instrument is being operated, will move over the face, and indicate the size te which theiingers have been dsteuded. Y p

To operate this instrument, the instrument is placed on the head, and gently pressed in a vertical direction, and bythe pressure, the ngers F F are disteuded to a capacity which will be'equal to and will conform with the irregularv oval line of the said head, and -nihile lthe said-ngers are-being distended, the cordfml is being' lengthened and its circumference enlarged, and uncoiling'from the pulley Gr, the cord m moves the pointer t to and over the number of the size marked thereon, and theindicated size v'vill correspond with the size of thev head measured.` i '4 If desirable, the ngers FF may be held in position as will indicate the shape of the head by pressing down the bearing-rimv B upon the-angle-pieces'b b, when the snap-bolts d dswill shoot forward and hold the said rim in pressure. While the fingers are thus held, the 'shape of the head can be duplicated, and transferred topaper by placing a. piece of paper in the crown-cover J, and pressing ,the said cover, with its paper, down upon the points e z, placed on the upper angle-pieces a a. v 1

The old liead-conformator gives only the irregular oval surface-line around the head, and that, too, while it is on the head, when the -paper for transfer must be punctured, and resumes its original smaller regular oval when removed, and does in nocase indicate the size ofthe head.

The advantages of this instrument over the old are these: iii-st, the sizeof the head is accurately taken, and secured for any length of time desired; second,the shape ofthe head may be preserved as long asdesired; third', the hat-tting instrument (used for fitting the hat to the head) can'be set up, if desired, directly from the dis# tended fingers, without recourse tothe duplicating-process by paper. i

Having described my invention, I do not claim the lower rim, nor the fingers, of themselves, o r in their peculiar formation, nor the crown or crown-cover; but

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The pressing-rim B, spring C, and holding-catches d d, combined and arranged substantially as and for thc-purpose specified.

-2. In combination' with, the measuringngers or arms of a hat-conformator, the ring orzbzmd B, or equivalent device, for securing the said arms in fixed position', substantially as described.

3. In' combination with a hat-conformator, an indicator, or equivalent registering-device, upon which is indicated the size'to whichl the measuring-arms are distended, substantially as described.

4. The'cord or chain m, fingers F, and indicator H, 5arranged and operating as described.

V BENJAMIN HOGAN. Witnesses:

ALEX. SELKIRK, JosnPn B. Zarsen. 

